Christmas Safety Tips While You Write Personalized Santa Claus Letters For Every Home

In this day and age, Christmas safety is a huge consideration. There are many products on the market that are not safe for little children – the truth is, kids are curious and most things have to be touched and tasted. That of course poses a significant danger. Christmas is a wonderful holiday and the last thing in the world you want to happen is to rush to the hospital because your child swallowed a small Christmas ball or other item. In order to be safe this and every Christmas, here are some tips to get you through the holidays safe and sound.

In general, it is important to practice good safety measures not only on Christmas but throughout the year. As your children stay up late creating their personalized Santa Claus letters, you need to ensure that the front door is locked. It’s easy to get caught up in festivities as you teach your children good letter-writing skills and forget about your security as you write the letters to Santa. For this reason, making safety a habit is advisable not just for Christmas but the whole year through.

1. Child proof your house
Remember that children put small things in their mouth and tend to swallow them. For this reason, don’t leave bowls of peanuts, walnuts or chestnuts lying around where children can easily reach them and put them in their mouth. Nuts with hard shells as well as tiny Christmas décor are choking hazards. Avoid hanging small trimmings on the tree where tiny hands can reach up and grab them. Avoid using glass bowls that you used to use when you were not a parent yet, now that you have children, these will undoubtedly fall and crash to the floor.

2. Fire-proof your house
As a matter of fact, something as seemingly safe as letter to Santa can become a fire hazard if you are not careful. For Christmas lights need to pass safety accreditation. There are many different varieties of Christmas lights you can decorate your tree with. Not all of these Christmas lights come from legitimate companies. In other words, you need to make sure that the Christmas lights you end up purchasing comes from a recommended or a trustworthy manufacturer rather than from a company which is just out to make a quick buck. Many cases of trees getting burned from bad wiring that the Christmas lights are made with can be avoided by purchasing lights made by a well-recommended Christmas light company that has a good reputation. This is especially true if you decide to purchase your lights online through online stores or auctions.

3. Protect your home this Christmas from theft
Any time of the year, some neighborhoods are vulnerable to thefts. Christmas is an emotional time for many people, provoking some to commit attempted burglaries in neighborhood homes. For this reason, you need to identify which parts of your house need more security measures in order to protect your belongings as well as your family. Be sure that the lighted Christmas décor on your lawn has a chain attached to it that bolts to your porch. These days, something as seemingly safe from theft such as Christmas décor are also targets thieves may become attracted to. Check the locks on your door and make sure your house is secure before you sleep. Christmas is a time where people relax and drink more than the usual amounts of alcohol. Thus, you need to be extra alert for doors that have been left unlocked by one family member or guests who stay over in your house who mistakenly leave your front door or back door unlocked.

Planning ahead will help with improving the safety of your home during the holiday season and all year round. Although it may seem bothersome at times the safety of your family is certainly a worthwhile effort.

Christmas Dinner—A Good Time to Think About Your Letters To The Santa Claus

Christmas dinner is a traditional annual celebration which almost every Christian and some non-Christian families enjoy preparing. Christmas dinner around the world usually consists of the same well-prepared menu. Usually, Christmas dinner preparations is something children also enjoy doing as they ponder upon the thought of whether Santa Claus will answer their Santa Claus letter.

Every year, alongside dinner preparations, what occupies the minds of children as their parents prepare dinner is whether their own personalized letter from Santa Claus was answered or not. Parents smile as they listen to children talk among themselves regarding their Santa Claus letter.

Christmas dinner usually consists of the traditional turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, a Christmas pie recipe that has been in the family for generations and chestnuts, which visitors roast in the fire place. Nowadays, chestnuts can also be roasted in the microwave for half a minute, but the traditional way of roasting does fill the air with a smell that is just priceless. Another Christmas dinner staple is egg nog. Every family has a different recipe for egg nog. Families that have small children usually make a separate egg nog for the kids which is non-alcoholic, while the grown ups enjoy the more alcoholic version. Fruit cake is another Christmas favorite which the family usually enjoys after dinner with a warm cup of hot chocolate.

The first thing you need to do for Christmas dinner celebrations is count how many guests are arriving about two weeks beforehand. Next, in the early morning of Christmas Eve (or the day before depending on when you plan to have your special meal), start preparing your Christmas table. You need to make a centerpiece which usually consists of red and green candles, holly, Christmas balls and angels. Depending on the number of guests you plan to have, you need to put bowls around the house filled with red and green or peppermint candy, preferably. If you put up a Christmas tree, children can gather around it and sing Christmas carols as Uncle Harry plays the piano, or plays his iPod on the speakers, whichever option applies.
Now that table is set, the house is neatly decorated and the centerpiece is intact, you need to begin preparing dinner around five in the afternoon. Dress and roast the turkey, bake the pie and create the egg nog. For delicious Christmas egg nog, you might want to use the following recipe.

You will need twelve yolks of egg, five whole cloves, four whole cups of milk, four cups cream, three cups of rum—you can also use light rum, two cups of sugar, which you can lessen if you think this might be too sweet and two teaspoons vanilla. You also need a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and one teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Blend the cinnamon, cloves, milk and half a teaspoon of vanilla in a saucepan and stir until hot. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar with the egg yolks. Transfer this to the saucepan and heat but do not boil. Strain the mixture into a bowl and keep it in the fridge for two hours. Stir in the cream, rum and nutmeg, and put it back in the fridge overnight. Serve in a Christmas cup and sprinkle with cocoa for the perfect Christmas drink.

Christmas Celebrations Around the World –Letter From Santa, Recipes and More!

Christmas is celebrated differently around the world. No two countries celebrate Christmas the same way. For example, non-Christian countries such as North Korea do not have Christmas trees, snow men or Celebrations regarding Santa Claus for Christmas. Instead, they practice their own Christmas traditions. In Hungary, Christmas is celebrated on December six rather then on the twenty-fifth.

Santa Claus is called Father Christmas and children put their shoes out before going to bed in the hopes that Father Christmas puts their gifts in the shoes, instead of under the tree. In tropical countries that don’t experience winter, there are not real Christmas trees. Rather, people who celebrate Christmas need to purchase an artificial Christmas tree to put their gifts underneath. Many cultures celebrate Christmas exactly the same way as the United States, but with certain variations.

For one thing, Christmas dinner varies. In the United States, a turkey is the usual main dish each Christmas. In Japan, however, their main fare is usually made up of fish. European countries make certain dishes such as Shepherd’s pie, minced meat pie or a variation for the holiday season. Christmas carols are sung in their own respective languages. One example is the way Silent Night is sung in France is:

Douce nuit, sainte nuit !
Dans les cieux !
L’astre luit. Le mystère annoncé s’accomplit.
Cet enfant sur la paille endormit,
C’est l’amour infini,
C’est l’amour infini!

Some African towns teach their children to cut out snowflakes and hang on the windows each Christmas, even if most children from Africa have never seen snow.
One common factor during Christmas involves writing letters and expecting letters from Santa Claus to arrive back in the mail. Christian children around the world write letters to Santa Claus telling Santa that they’ve been good all year and the list of gifts they would like to receive. They then expect letters from Santa Claus to be in the mail the morning after. Many times, letters from Santa Claus do not arrive and instead, they get all the gifts they have listed on their wish list.

The way Christmas is celebrated around the world has one universal theme. It all involves making children happy as well as celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. During midnight mass around the world, the scene of Jesus being born in a manger is a frequent occurrence. Singing Christmas carols as well as eating a Christmas dinner is also an international tradition for Christian countries. On the other hand, non-Christian countries do not celebrate Christmas at all. Instead, they celebrate their own pagan holidays with just as much festivities usually involving fireworks, street dancing and dragon dances. Christmas celebrations around the world usually involve a Christmas tree, Christmas stockings, hymns, recipes and a gathering of families around a well-prepared dinner. Midnight Mass is also practiced where children get to hear Christmas carols sung by the church choir as well as Christmas plays performed.

Knowing how other cultures celebrate Christmas will enable you to enhance your own experience of this holiday season. You can borrow other cultural practices and recipes that you find in other websites and incorporate it into your own Christmas dinner for the whole family to enjoy. This allows you a way to create your own unique family traditions.

A Personalized Santa Claus Letter About Christmas Trees—Real Or Artificial?

Let’s face it, there has been a lot of debate over the years about which is better, an artificial Christmas tree or a real one. Many of the discussions focus on what is better for the environment. Believe it or not, because this was a topic in my grandson’s classroom last year, he actually included that in his letter to Santa. That’s right, he wrote to Santa Claus asking him which tree was better. It seems that there are pros and cons for both types of trees – but to be honest – Santa Claus did not help much – he just suggested that my grandson choose a nice tree and decorate it in his own way. Very diplomatic of Santa! Lol

But the reality is that we all use Christmas trees and we probably should give some thought to which is really better for the environment. And of course, we do have to consider the actual dollar cost to us – however, when we consider that we need to think long term as well as the single season.

For city-dwellers who live in a high rise away from all the Christmas tree farms, an artificial tree might be the only choice available for them. Aside from its availability, some pros about having an artificial Christmas tree also includes the fact that it is practical, since you won’t need to keep buying one every year. You can, instead, just use last year’s well-packed tree and not need to spend a single cent on buying yet another tree each and every year. Studies show that most artificial trees last 3 – 7 or more years.

An artificial tree also does not shed its needles, adding to your household chores. Aside from this, an artificial tree does not have the bacteria or fungus that live trees sometimes have. You can also get an artificial tree that lights up on its own without having to buy any additional Christmas lights, an added expense. Artificial trees look perfect each and every time, with no maintenance, no needles to clean up and built-in lights. They help you save money because you only need to spend for one tree which will last for years depending on the way you take care of it.

On the other hand, real Christmas trees do have that wonderful fir or pine smell which is what Christmas is all about, for some. Imagine having an allspice fruit cake baking in the oven with a fabulous smell mixing with the smell of pine, as you tell your children Christmas Stories such as “The Night Before Christmas” beside the fireplace. A real tree is also a fun thing to purchase with the whole family. You can go to a Christmas tree farm, let the kids help you in selecting which tree is perfect, load it on your van or have them deliver it and enjoy setting it up in the living room together with the whole family.

You can also trim the real tree with traditional trimmings like strung popcorn or Christmas angels, as well as cut out snowflakes the kids can help you make. A real tree is sometimes cheaper than an artificial tree, since it does not have the artificial lights and other technology that artificial trees come with.
Furthermore, you can get a real tree at a discounted price the week right before Christmas. The smell of pine will fill your memories of Christmas with the scent of Christmas pine, which your kids will remember forever.

But perhaps more importantly is the fact that real trees can be more environmentally friendly because they can be recycled for bird and other animal refuge, beach fencing, used in lakes for fish habitats, and mulched for use as mulching, plus other uses. Additionally, Christmas tree farms add beauty to the countryside, the trees themselves are grown in soil that cannot be used for other crops, the trees provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and the live trees give off oxygen.

The choice is up to you. If you decide to get an artificial tree but miss the smell of pine, then you can go ahead and purchase a pine scented air freshener to spray on your artificial tree. On the other hand, if you want your children to grow up with a real Christmas tree in the living room, that is just as understandable.

New From The Creators Of PackageFromSanta.com - Easter Bunny Letters

This will be great news for everyone that has special children in their lives - the creators of PackageFromSanta.com are happily introducing their new site, PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com. While PackageFromSanta.com has already made Christmas merrier for thousands and thousands of families, the creators will now be doing the same for Easter celebrations.


PackageFromSanta.com has an honored reputation for delivering quality packages and for excellent customer service. The same can be expected from PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com. Letters from the happy little rabbit will be delivered via the mail service to the address provided when ordering the packages. Of course, there is a possibility that you may not be familiar with the Letters from Santa Claus provided by this top notch company. If not, then you really should check out their website. The packages are incredible and the quality really does speak for itself.

The letters are so authentic and real looking that they can fool almost anyone into believing in these holiday heroes that children love. The truth is that when children believe in Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny the holidays seem to have an essence of magic and mystery about them. No wonder parents encourage their children to believe in these characters for as long as possible.

Most families make a tradition of taking the time to write holiday letters to The Easter Bunny and Santa. This time spent together is a wonderful way to strengthen family bonds while creating cherished memories together. The reality is that this time is not only fun for the kids, but it is a treasured time that many adults love to be involved in.

But writing the letters is just the beginning to the real magic. When kids receive their letters from The Easter Bunny or Santa a feeling of worth and a renewed belief in the holiday hero is established. For most kids these letters become a favorite highlight of the holidays. And the reality is that the letters from The Easter Bunny are sure to become treasured keepsakes of childhood memories, you know, the kind of thing that one holds on to for years to come. And once the tradition is started it is sure to be continued even as the child grows. In fact, this is the type of thing that most adults continue even with their own children.
Why not check out the great Easter packages now so you can insure that your child will receive a personalized letter from The Easter Bunny this year? Visit the website for complete details. PackageFromTheEasterBunny.com

Are You Wondering How To Care For Your Poinsettias?

Invariably, each year during the holiday season, one or more of my children or grandkids will give me a beautiful poinsettia plant. And with time, the plant dies and I feel awful about it. But this year I have a plan to keep my plant alive, and if possible, to even get it to bloom again next Christmas. The truth is that I love the plants. I used them as centerpieces for my tables this past Christmas.

The important thing to know about your plant is that the care you give it now will have a direct impact on whether it survives, and whether it blooms for next Christmas. The plant should be placed near a sunny window – preferably one facing any direction but north.

If your goal is to keep your plant in bloom for as long as possible you will need to regulate the temperature of the room it’s in. Generally, the temperature should be 65 – 75 degrees, but it is okay to drop the temperature down to even 60 degrees at night.

Water, of course, is essential to keeping your poinsettia looking its best. Give the plant water when the surface of the soil feels dry and water until you see it begin to drain out the bottom. A word of caution, don’t allow the plant to sit in water. Because most home environments are somewhat dry during the winter time you will probably find that you need to water your plant very often – maybe even every day.

The same care will continue until the end of March. Beginning in April you will need to gradually decrease the watering. Keep a close watch on your plant though, being sure that the stem does not begin to shrivel. After a couple of weeks your plant will become accustomed to less water. At that time you can move it to a cool spot – many people put them in a basement or a garage. Ideally you will find a spot that maintains a somewhat steady temperature of around 60 degrees.

By the middle of May you should cut the stems down to about 4 inches and then repot the plant in a slightly larger sized pot, using new soil. Be sure to water the plant well and then place your plant in a sunny window. Now the temperature should be maintained again at about 65 – 75 degrees. And you will again water the plant when the soil surface feels dry.

When you begin seeing signs of new growth it is time to begin fertilizing your plant every two weeks. In June you can move the plant outdoors to a partially shaded location. Don’t neglect the watering and fertilizing though.

Early in July you should pinch about an inch off of each stem. This helps to encourage a strong plant that branches out. By the middle of August you should have a plant that has leafed out and beautifully branched. Once again you will need to cut back the stems – leave only three or four leaves per shoot. And now you are ready to bring your plant back indoors to your sunniest window. Watering and fertilizing schedule should continue.

In October you will need to keep the plant in total darkness from about 5pm to 8am. This is required if the plant is going to re-bloom. If necessary you can place a cardboard box or other protection around or over the plant for those hours. This treatment should continue until about the end of November. In fact, Thanksgiving Day weekend is a good way to remember this. At that time you can again place the plant in a sunny location and not worry about darkness. By this time you should see flower buds on your plant!

It’s safe to stop fertilizing the plant by the middle of December. You will now water as usual and treat the plant just as you did when you first brought it home (or received it as a gift). If each step has been followed your poinsettia should be back in bloom and looking lovely!

Making Christmas 2010 Even More Special Than Christmas 2009

I’m working hard to stay ahead of schedule for things now and to be more organized when it comes to planning for events, holidays and other special occasions. I started my new year out with a day planner that has plenty of space to write in. I have already added tasks that have to be done at various times of the year for my home, my family, and my business. With that in mind I decided to also add some plans, ideas, and thoughts about things to do for each holiday. Of course, Christmas is the one that requires the most planning and preparation so I wanted to start there.

One of the things I have been doing already is reviewing how the past Christmas went and how I could have improved things. I am always looking for ways to save money, to keep organized, and to involve my family in the processes.

Some of our regular Christmas traditions include the simple things like making some handcrafted decorations, writing letters to Santa Claus, and having a fabulous Christmas dinner. Christmas Eve is also a big event around my house – that is when my children and grandchildren gather to exchange gifts and socialize.

I have decided to add a task of creating one handcrafted gift per month between now and November. I’ll try to stick with that. I have some things that my mother and my grandmother made for me that I simply cherish. I want to pass that tradition along to my family by giving them things that I personally make.

Another idea I have is that when my grandkids come over I will encourage them to make Christmas cards. I’m going to purchase some quality materials to use as well as scrapes from Christmas wrapping paper and old Christmas cards. Depending on how the cards turn out, I will either use them myself or the kids can give them to their friends or they may simply be used for decorations and kept as Christmas keepsakes.

I have also been collecting some easy candy and cookie recipes. My grandkids love to help me in the kitchen so I think instead of me doing it all myself this year I will have a special day of them helping me with these tasks. They will enjoy it and it should be good for some lasting memories – of course, I may be exhausted by the end of the day. Lol

I’ve also thought about making letters to Santa something that the kids do periodically throughout the year. They enjoy writing to him so much that it seems a shame that it is only allowed during the holiday season. After all, Santa is always available, right?

As time goes on I will share some of my ideas for the handcrafted gifts as well as the kid-friendly recipes. Please share any ideas you have too.